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January 18th, 2011

The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard/forward Damien Wilkins to a second 10-day contract, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund.

Wilkins has appeared in 17 games off the bench for Atlanta this season, averaging 2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.7 apg and 0.7 spg (.452 FG%, .684 FT%) in 11.7 mpg. The seventh-year veteran signed his first 10-day contract on January 8, 2011. He was originally signed by the Hawks on December 3, 2010, and waived on January 5, 2011.

Griffin scored a career-high 47 points in just 36 minutes as the Clippers held off the Pacers 114-107 in front of 15,863 on Monday at Staples Center that seemed almost sluggish before Griffin began unleashing his ever-expanding scoring repertoire.

Griffin was whistled for charging into the Pacers’ Tyler Hansbrough just 44 seconds after the opening tip.

That proved to be one of the few times something good didn’t happen for coach Vinny Del Negro’s team when the ball was in Griffin’s hands.

Griffin, who grabbed 14 rebounds for his 27 th consecutive double-double, hit a 10-foot jump hook on the Clippers’ next possession and he was off and running - even if, at least until the fourth quarter, his team wasn’t.

In just eight minutes and 10 seconds on the floor, he went 5 of 7 from the field and made each of his three free throws for 13 points in a first quarter that ended with the Pacers ahead 31-26, largely because of former UCLA guard Darren Collison’s 17 points.

The fact is, everything is coming together for [Clippers center DeAndre] Jordan.

“I’m definitely getting very comfortable,” Jordan said after scoring eight points and grabbing eight rebounds in a 99-92 win over the Lakers. “The game is slowing down for me, it’s getting a lot easier.

“Everything is becoming second nature to me.”

In Jordan, Del Negro saw a young player high on physical ability but behind the curve on the nuances of playing center. Enter Iavaroni, who has worked relentlessly with Jordan on footwork, fundamentals and the mental side of the game - basic things like using his size, speed and leaping ability to become a force on the boards.

“(Jordan) has always had the (tremendous) athleticism,” Iavaroni said. “He now understands, `The more I go to the boards, the more (rebounds) I’m going to get.’ He understands how many rebounds he can grab by just being relentless.”

Beyond that, they are building an offensive base for Jordan, beginning with fundamental stuff at the basket.

“He could always run to the rim and catch lobs for dunks,” Iavaroni said. “We’re trusting that and throwing it to him more now.”